


They Know Best

by conboimckinky



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Foul Language, I'm making this up as I go, Mentions of drugs/alchol/substance abuse, Mentions of emotional/physical abuse, Multi, Murdoc's his own warning at this point, Varying Chapter Length, no update schedule
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-01 16:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15777972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conboimckinky/pseuds/conboimckinky
Summary: The fandom seem to be more in-love with the idea of lead singer 2D and new bassist Ace getting together than the new album.It causes some problems.And then...well, Murdoc causes some problems- but we all saw that coming, didn't we?!! TEMPORARILY ON HOLD !!





	1. The Internet's Wondering

-  
It was Ace's first televised interview.  
Arriving, he felt electric. This was it. His time. He had finally made it, even if it was in the shadow of a bigger bassist. Ace couldn't stop grinning the whole time, even when the others were being questioned. He relaxed almost instantly as he found the crowd reacted well to his laid back, almost teenager-like attitude. Every time he looked up after answering a question, the band was nodding encouragingly back at him.  
It felt weirdly natural- to be in the spotlight like that. Answering questions. Replying cheekily. Grinning. Flashing his small fangs.  
One question did throw him off. Only slightly, but still- he wobbled on his world's axis for a second.  
"So, Ace, 2D; the fans seem to be really interested in how you two are gettin' along."  
The woman interviewing the group- Christie, or something- didn't pretend it was a question. She leaned forward slightly and raised her eyebrows. The two men simply glanced at each other. They had known each other two months, tops, and they weren't exactly close. 2D had picked up the habit of avoiding Ace as much as possible. Not in a rude way, just to see whether he wanted any involvement beyond the studio.  
Difficult, when you lived together.  
But they got by on small-talk and music-talk.  
So, what exactly did Christie mean?  
Ace tilted his head to the side slightly. After a minute of silence and an equally confused shrug from 2D, he decided to answer. With a fresh smile on his face, he turned to Christie.  
"We're gettin' along jus' fine, doll," Ace replied, smirk settling into place. He'd always been a charmer. "Maybe not how they's imaginin', though."  
"Oh?" Christie prompted with a giggle.  
"Oh, indeed. We're great mates," Ace nodded, "in short- I'm still on the market, darlin'."  
He winked at her over his glasses, and the small studio crowd began to laugh. Noodle covered her mouth and Russ reached to give him a pat on the back.  
"Well, with that information, we've run out of time. Thank you for comin' to visit us, gang. One more time; Gorillaz!"  
The studio audience clapped, and the band stood to leave, waving as they went. Ace even turned around before he stepped off the stage and blew a cheeky kiss at Christie.  
"What a save, Ace!" Noodle congratulated when they were safely in the wings.  
Russ came up behind them, grinning. 2D also approached. His smile was almost nervous.  
"Yeah, man," Russel agreed, patting his back again, "very good. Ain't never seen anyone dodge a question so hard."  
Ace laughed, reaching up to high-five him. It felt good to know that his first televised interview had gone well. Very well, apparently. And he'd seemingly won the crowd over.  
A cough to his left pulled him from his train of thought.  
"Thanks for tha', Ace," 2D said quietly, "ya really saved me arse out there."  
"No worries, Stu," Ace replied breezily.  
Unfortunately, Stu did worry. A lot. He'd been amazed by how easily Ace had brushed the question off. He hadn't really been open about relationships at all. Not that he had that many after the Paula Incident. Mainly hookups. Ace's smooth intervention had saved him a massive headache.  
Metaphorically.  
The new bassist was a charmer, not a doctor. No amount of flirtatious comments would help Stu's migraines.  
He liked being called Stu, though. It was rare when Murdoc was in the band.  
Was he still in the band?  
Stu wasn't sure. He was in prison, but only temporarily. The frowning and the thinking made his head hurt, so he approached the group as they moved towards the exit instead.  
-  
Apparently, a celebration was in order.  
Ace was told he'd have three rounds of drinks free- each courtesy of a fellow bandmate. That was an offer he couldn't refuse.  
He still felt electric as he dressed. The buzz from the interview still held his insides captive. He felt alive, instantly thankful for the promise of a celebration. It would be the first time he'd actually let himself get over the tipsy line around the band. It was something he had avoided for almost two months. Sometimes, Drunk Ace was a lot to handle- which was saying something if you knew Sober Ace anyway. He got...ridiculously affectionate. Almost embarrassingly. He swallowed the thought.  
Skinny blue jeans? Check. Biker boots? Check. Black button up, halfway buttoned, with purple leopard print trim? Double check.  
After a once-over in the mirror, he pulled on his custom varsity jacket and smiled at himself. Then he rummaged through the pile of useless junk already clinging to his dresser and fished out a pair of sunglasses he'd stolen from Noodle a little while ago. Purple, with heart-shaped lenses. He slipped them on and shut his bedroom door.  
-


	2. Safe Space Boogy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is deadass the most I've worked on a chapter in ages. I even wrote it down on a notebook (in the bath) and then typed it up and edited it and everything. Please enjoy. Comments are appreciated!! <3

With a few drinks down him, Ace loved nothing more than dancing. Especially with other people- regardless of whether he was good or not.  
The music was loud and mostly terrible, but his tequila-drenched liver told him to ignore it. The band sat against the bar on stools that were almost comfortable. Apparently, they visited the place a lot and knew all the staff by name, and it was one of two bars that Murdoc wasn't banned from.   
Ace didn't really know what to say to that. Especially when 2D slipped into silence.   
It was a fantastic place. They avoided advertising it as a gay bar, instead sticking a 'safe space' sign on the door. The floor changed colour to the beat of the music and Ace watched, mesmerised. The whole club was decorate to look something like space. The walls glinted, glitter imbedded into the wallpaper. Glow-in-the-dark stars littered the ceiling and gleamed whenever the blue lights hit them. People paired up regardless of gender, gathering to dance haphazardly in the middle of the room.   
The discovery made Ace relax. Soon, he was holding his tequila and swaying to the music. He considered asking Noodle to join him on the dance floor, saw what she was doing, and decided otherwise.  
The bar had always been one of Noodle's favourites- he remembered that. She always dragged the band there. One of the reasons she loved it so much was the manager and barmaid- Dayanara. Noodle had spotted her the second they arrived the first time. They both had a fierce competitive streak and clicked immediately. After some small talk and some dancing, they had made a deal.  
-  
She was gorgeous.  
Noodle froze in the door way and ignored Stu's soft 'ooph' when he walked straight into her back in favour of studying the barmaid.  
Noodle didn't understand how someone so beautiful existed on the same earth. She was tall when she stood, and dressed in the plain black uniform the rest of the staff wore. It somehow looked better though, hugging her curved silhouette in all the right places. Any exposed dark skin was drenched in tattoos and a septum piercing glinted from a distance. Her hair resembled cotton candy; pink and fluffy, falling in delicate coils.   
She glowed under the dim bar lights. Heavenly. It created a soft halo around her curls.   
Noodle was entirely infatuated.   
The other band members stared at her. She hadn't ever come out to them properly, but they weren't exactly surprised. Murdoc tapped his foot impatiently. 2D stepped to the side automatically, and Murdoc shoved past. He tapped her on the chin.  
"You'll catch flies wit' your gob open like tha', poppet," Murdoc muttered with a smirk.   
Russel frowned at 2D. Clearly, neither of them knew what to do. They glanced at each other, and then at Noodle. At a complete loss, Russel bent down slightly and leant towards her ear.  
"You cool, N?" He asked quietly. She jumped like she'd been slapped.  
"I-uh-yeah, obviously," Noodle said with a scoff.  
She was nothing if not confident. Once shaken from her trance, Noodle began to stroll towards the bar. She sat slightly to the left of the girl- no, woman- and was joined by 2D and Russel. Murdoc was watching her from the corner. Noodle had made a point of never following any of his romantic advice.   
"What can I get ya, doll?"   
Her voice sounded like velvet.  
Noodle met her eyes with a confident smirk. The woman's sparkled back, a deep hazel that Noodle could get lost in. They drew her in. She had never considered brown eyes to be poetic before then. In her eyes there were entirely universes; meteors crashing into planets, brown and on fire. Noodle's smirk faded into a soft smile.  
"You got some Malibu an' coke, darlin'?" She asked politely.   
Maybe she had accidentally picked up on Murdoc's behaviour. The woman's smile told her she did it better.   
"Comin' right up," she replied, turning, and Noodle caught the print on her name tag.  
"Can I buy you a drink n'all, Daya?" Noodle asked with a flirtatious wink.  
Daya smiled behind the bar. Her name was beautiful, just like her, and Noodle had to force herself not to melt. She made two Malibu and coke's, told Noodle the title, and then leaned against the wood to talk.  
2D and Russel were stunned.  
They'd never seen Noodle do that before. Maybe they frequented too many straight clubs. Halfway through the night, they found the two girls dancing. Noodle, in her high-waisted jean shorts, red lace crop top, knee-high leather platforms, and with her heart lenses perched on her head; and Daya, in her black uniform, without her shoes on.   
"She's all grown up," Murdoc mumbled, rejoining the pair and knocking back the last of his pint.   
"Bound to 'appen 'ventually, Doc," 2D commented lightly. He braced himself when Murdoc growled in response, but the strike never came. He sipped his cider.  
"She did well," Russel added, "that barmaid's absolutely gorgeous."  
Russel was right. She was gorgeous- especially close up. Their bodies moved perfectly together as they danced. They drew closer with each song, until Daya began to speak into Noodle's ear.  
"We should play a game," she said, her voice thick and warm.  
"What game, darlin'?" Noodle asked, slurring slightly.  
"Well," Daya began, her hands on the others hips, "let's see who fall in love first, yeah?"  
Noodle giggled in response. She shook her head slightly.  
"Wha'? Can't handle a challenge, doll?"  
Noodle stopped giggling. She never backed from a challenge. Ever. Her lips twisted into a sloppy smirk.  
"Okay."  
"First person to kiss te' other loses."   
Noodle looked at her. Daya, with her cherry lips and soft brown skin. Daya, whose hair looked and smelled and felt like cotton candy. Daya, who was beautiful and dancing with her.  
She knew she'd already lost.  
"Okay."   
-  
Ace had a few more drinks. He was still swaying, but he wasn't sure whether it was to the music or to whatever it was he was humming. He'd definitely gone over his limit and the lights were making him dizzy. He closed his eyes for a second, opened them again, and scanned the room.  
The barmaid- Daya- had come out from behind the bar and claimed the seat next to Noodle. They sat close together, and Noodle placed her hand on the bottom of Daya's back. They'd put two straws in something and couldn't stop laughing.  
Russel had taken the DJ a drink and started chatting to them. They began talking about music and drum machines. Russel made a joke Ace couldn't hear and pointed to the amp. They laughed too.  
2D...well, 2D looked kind of lonely. He watched the others, much like Ace, but didn't engage in any conversations. Instead, he tapped his fingers against his cider and stayed seated.  
He looked lost, Ace thought, and maybe he should find him.  
Ace nodded to himself and began to walk over, drink in hand. He wobbled slightly. Surprisingly, he made it to the seat without falling, and leaned against the bar. The singer looked zoned-out, but Ace barely noticed. Instead, he placed his head on 2D shoulder to catch his attention.  
"Oh, hey, Ace," he greeted with a polite smile, "ya havin' fun?"  
Ace hummed in reply at first. He nuzzled into 2D's jaw, who laughed at his bandmates drunken affections.   
"Not as much fun as Noodle, clearly," Ace slurred, laughing softly. He wrapped an arm around 2D's forearm and hummed again.  
"She's a really good danca', and she's really inte tha' girl."  
Ace nodded. Silence settled between them for a second. 2D notices how soft Ace's hair was against his neck.  
"Are you a good danca', Stu?" Ace asked quietly, still swaying his arms to the music.   
"Not really, but I do like dancin' anyways."  
Ace shot up and grinned, eyes sparkling. "Let's dance!"  
"Oh, I don't think-"   
"C'mon, Stu! I love te dance!"  
2D looked up at him. Ace, who was always so cool and collected. Ace, who respected him even though he avoided him a lot of the time. Ace, who was there and wanted to dance with him.  
"Okay."


End file.
